


Robin Legacy

by Kai_Maciel



Category: Young Justice, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Dysfunctional Family, Family, Family Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-06
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-04 11:39:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/710395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kai_Maciel/pseuds/Kai_Maciel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick Grayson thought he had his life figured out. Robin is his alter-ego, his legacy and nothing will change that. That is, until the day Batman brings home a juvenile deliquent named Jason Todd. Batcave is crowded enough, what are they supposed to do with him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Boy in the Red Hood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for giving this story a chance!
> 
> I can't believe Young Justice is coming to an end and there will be no mention of the second Robin. It feels like such a waste!
> 
> I guess it's up to fans like us to fill the void. I hope I did a good job with it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own Young Justice or any of its characters. If I did, they wouldn't have skipped Jason Todd.
> 
> Enjoy!

 

This wasn't meant to happen.

Robin and Artemis were supposed to be in Mount Justice by now. They were supposed to be getting ready to go on their mission with the Team which, by the way, was going to be lead by none other than the Boy Wonder.

Dick had spent two whole weeks working on intel about Vandal Savage's hideouts and Kaldur had insisted that he be the one to lead them.

"You're the one who his meant to do this" Aqualad had said with a reassuring smile. "We all know that you will take the mantle and I couldn't be more proud of my successor."

Successor. There was a time when Robin would have jumped at the opportunity to run the Team, but he found himself hesitant and… scared. It wasn't like he couldn't do it, he knew he could, but the responsibility of having his friends' lives in his hands… if he messed up… How could he live with himself knowing that failed them?

He wondered if Batman ever felt that way when they went on patrol together. The Dark Knight was known for not showing his emotions, but Dick knew that he was always attentive to his movements, always ready to jump and protect him from an unknown assailant. Now he understood why Bruce had been so broody before he finally let him join the Team. It wasn't easy seeing your partner go to places where you knew you couldn't protect him, no matter how much you trusted his abilities.

" _I guess this means I'm growing up"_  Dick thought, smiling.  _"Speaking of which… I need to get a new costume, this one his getting tight! Sweet, I'm getting tall!"_

"What are you laughing about?" Artemis asked as they jumped from roof to roof.

"Huh? Nothing, nothing! Just enjoying this lovely night!"

The blonde archer rolled her eyes. "You've been spending way too much time with Wally. I hope you don't start making stupid jokes too."

"My jokes are never stupid" Robin laughed mischievously. "Besides… we both know you love his sense of humor."

Though she would never admit it, Artemis felt her cheeks blush under her mask. "Not exactly his best feature!"

"Right! I'll make sure he…" the two youths stopped on their tracks as they heard the sound of breaking glass followed by several male grunts which was never a good sign near a store in Gotham.

The two heroes exchanged glances and jumped swiftly to the ground. Sure enough, the shop's window was broken; the door showed signs of forced entry and the alarm had been disabled.

"I guess someone is planning a midnight shoplifting" Robin whispered.

"Why can't thieves just work at regular hours!" Artemis groaned. "We're gonna be late!"

"C'mon! Let's crash this party" Robin said as they both entered the dark store.

In less than five minutes, the two managed to knockout four guys who had already stolen from the cash register and were apparently trying to blow up a safe.

"There! Swiftly and with style" Robin said, calling 911 while Artemis tied the thugs together. "See? I said we could be quick!"

"Yeah, yeah… Let's just go already."

"Can't wait to see your boyfriend, huh?"

"Wha..? That's not what I meant!" the blonde teen hissed, blushing again.

"Silence!" Robin whispered.

" _What?_  Don't tell me to shut up!"

"No… listen…" There were noises coming from a door behind the counter. They seemed to be metallic. "I'll check it out."

While Artemis stayed with the unconscious thieves with her bow ready to help, Robin slowly opened the door and jumped towards the last thief, grabbing something small, light and red.

"What…?" Batman's sidekick gaped, completely taken aback.

He was holding a little kid! A very thin, very aggressive little kid, wearing a dirty red hoodie.

"Lemme go!" the boy shrieked, trying to kick Robin in the gut. "Lemme go, you asshole!"

The boy's sudden swearing broke Dick from his stupor and he tried to pin him down to the floor.

"What are doing here, kid?" Robin asked, still trying to immobilize the boy without hurting him. He could feel every bone in his body. "Did you come with those guys? Ouch… stop it! Were you stealing?"

"It's none of your business!" the boy yelled before punching Robin right in the nose.

"OW!" Robin was truly surprised by the strength of the punch and let go of the kid.

Dick looked up in time to see the red hood slip down the boy's head, revealing a black-haired kid with fiery green-blue eyes.

"Robin!" Artemis screamed, running to the room.

The boy's face paled as he heard the girl and his eyes focused on the teenage hero holding his bloody nose, widening as he recognized the famous Boy Wonder. In panic, the kid pulled a cabinet filled with flour and spices on top of Robin, filling the entire room with white power.

"Robin!" Artemis yelled, moving to the fallen cupboard and helping her friend get up. "Are you alright? What happened? Is your nose _bleeding?_ "

"I'm fine" Robin said, staring at his ruined costume and trying to ignore the pain on his nose. "There is a kid in here! We can't let him escape."

Artemis looked around and frowned. "Seems like he's gone."

Robin followed her gaze and saw the open air vent.

* * *

The boy in the red hood fled the dark streets of Gotham holding the only thing he had managed to swipe from that store: a chunk of bread.

He knew he shouldn't have agreed to help stealing the store, but the guys needed someone small enough to fit the air vent and bust the alarm. Then, they had said, he could have his fair share of the money.

Yeah, right! Like those idiots were actually gonna share the money with him. He wasn't stupid, but he was so hungry. He needed to eat and he needed the money, which was the only reason why he agreed. He thought he could just swipe some food and cash while they were distracted with the volt and take off before they remembered that he was there. But Robin and some other hero girl had shown up and everything went wrong.

The kid ran and jumped through the darkest alleys he could find with his heart beating painfully against his skinny chest. By the time he arrived at the rundown apartment where he lived in an abandoned building in Crime Alley, he made sure to close every window before hiding in a corner.

Why? Why did Robin have to show up tonight? He was never in Gotham anymore! People said he had some other team of kid heroes in Rhode Island, so why the hell was he there?

The boy looked at his hand. It still hurt after punching Robin which… was kinda cool because Robin was what every kid wanted to be and he had managed to punch him in the face. He would brag about it… if he had someone to talk to.

Still, Robin worked with the Bat and everyone with more than two working brain cells knew not to mess with him. Not that he was afraid of him or anything! The guy was crazy. How stupid is it to dress up like a bat to beat up criminals?

There was a time when he remembered thinking Batman was cool and dreamed that he would show up in their house to save him and his mom from the her dealers. But Batman didn't save them. He and his hero friends were too busy saving the upstanding citizens. That was when he realized that Batman only cared about people like him. Just like the cops and the stupid people in the orphanage and the foster care! They didn't understand.

He didn't want to be a crook; he just wanted to stay alive. It was easy to say that stealing was wrong when they didn't know how it felt to be so cold and so hungry to the point where he was afraid to fall asleep and die. They didn't know how hard it was like to see the other kids complaining to their parents when he was all alone.

Slowly, the boy ate the bread. He had no idea when his next meal would be, so he kept some of it for the morning. He should have tried to steal the cash, that way he could buy a burger or something warm for a change.

He had no choice. Tomorrow he was going to steal some tires. He just hoped the old guy who he sold them to was still in business.

Curling up against the wall, he stayed awake for a while, listening to the sirens, the yelling and shouts. Just another night in Crime Alley, he barely flinched when he heard the distinct sound of a gun and a high-pitched scream. However, the eleven year old still hugged himself and stared at the visible Bat signal in the sky.

A few minutes later, Jason Todd fell asleep still waiting for Batman to show up, but he never did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. Should I continue or leave it as a one-shot? Is it good enough for more chapters?
> 
> Dick and Jason didn't have the best introduction, huh? Also, Robin isn't weak, he was just trying to not to hurt the skinny kid and got caught by surprise. Jason has one hell of a punch! ^_^
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Crime Alley

When Dick got to the kitchen and smelled Alfred's mouth-watering pancakes, he knew he was totally screwed.

He managed to wash his costume and his hair before going back to Gotham (though he could swear he still smelled the spice!), but his nose was another story. It was swollen and black and it hurt like hell!

" _That damn brat! There I was trying not to hurt him and he breaks my nose. Batman is gonna have my head for that!"_

There was no way he could hide this from Alfred or Bruce, so Dick took a deep breath and entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Alfred!" Dick said with a wide grin.

"Good morning, Mast… My Goodness! Master Richard, what happened to your  _ **nose**_?" Alfred cried out, running to the boy and checking his injury.

Alfred. Where would they be without him to look after them?

"I'm fine, Alfred! Really! It's not as bad as it looks" Dick said, wincing a bit when the butler touched his nose.

"It doesn't look like it's broken. Are there other wounds that I shouldn't be worried about?"

"No, just the nose" the boy said, purposely reaching for his breakfast and avoid Alfred sincere gaze of worry. It always made Dick's stomach twist with guilt. "It wasn't a big deal. I just ran against something."

"Was that something a  _ **fist**_?"

If it wasn't for his Robin training, Dick would have jumped from his chair. Bruce Wayne walked silently as a ghost and stared hard at his ward's swollen nose.

"It was a recon mission" Bruce said, his eyes cold as a block of ice and just as hard. "I wasn't informed that the team was under attack."

Dick shook his head. "No. We weren't under attack. Everything went according to plan and we gathered the data we needed… it's in your computer by the way. Artemis and I… we sort of bumped into a robbery on your way there."

Bruce crossed his arms around his chest. He didn't need to say a word; Dick knew he had to tell the whole story now. Great.

"We found four thieves trying to blow up a safe on a grocery store here in Gotham. Artemis and I disabled them in less than a minute and called the police" the Boy Wonder explained. "I heard noises coming from another room and I assumed it was another thief, so I told Artemis to stay with the others while I tried to take him out. When I opened the door, I grabbed him but… he was a kid. It took me by surprise."

Bruce's eyes lost the bat glare and his expression soften slightly into something similar to shock and confusion.

"A kid?"

"Yeah… A really small one too. Nine? Ten years old? I'm not sure. Anyway, he was trying to get away and wouldn't stop kicking, but I didn't want to hurt him. I swear, his arms felt like twigs. But then he punched me. I shouldn't have underestimated him; I never thought someone that skinny could throw a punch like that. I let go of him at the same time Artemis got in the room and I guess he must have panicked because he threw a cupboard full of flour and other stuff over me and left through the air vent. By the time we got outside, he was gone and I couldn't find a trace."

Bruce nodded and closed his eyes while Alfred shook his head sadly.

"Poor child. To be forced into a life of crime at such a young age…" the kind butler whispered, pouring them tea. "The world truly is cruel sometimes."

"There have been reports of an increase of juvenile delinquents in Gotham" Bruce said. "There are more and more children on the streets every day. Most of them come from families with a criminal history."

The way Bruce said it, made it look like there was something Batman could do about it, but he wasn't that naïve. He could scare the criminals and probably dissuade some of those kids from committing a few crimes, but that didn't solve the problem. They were still in the streets and they would grow up to do wrong, turning into the criminals Batman fought in the future.

"Never let your guard down while on patrol, Dick" Bruce told him with his infamous bat glare. "You know that you can't be fooled by appearances, even if your opponent is a child."

Dick wanted to tell his mentor that he wasn't fooled by the kid; he just thought he could go easy on him, but he knew there was no arguing while Bruce was on Batman-Mode.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again" the boy said, eating his pancakes.

The breakfast went on silently until Alfred brought Bruce the newspaper with a hint of a smile in his lips. "I suppose we won't be expecting you for lunch, Master Bruce?"

The black haired man frowned at the butler and continued reading the news paper. "No, you won't."

Alfred nodded. "Very well, sir. Please let me know if you plan on bringing Miss Vale to the Manor. I'll make sure to prepare dinner. Miss Vale seemed to enjoy the Tiramisu last time she visited us."

Dick almost choked on his tea and stared at Bruce wide eyed. "Vale? As in  _ **Vicki Vale?**_  The reporter who keeps criticizing Batman on the news  _ **every single night?**_  That Vicki Vale?"

Bruce purposely refused to look up from the newspaper. "Yes."

"Miss Vale invited Master Bruce for lunch" Alfred explained, clearly enjoying the way his boss's frown grew.

"But…? I thought you and Selina…" since Bruce grabbed the newspaper a little too tight, Dick immediately changed the topic. "Why would you go on a date with her? Isn't that awkward? She hates you."

"She disapproves the existence of Batman and his acts of vigilantism" Bruce explained. "She has no problem with Bruce Wayne. Besides, it's not a date" he glared at Alfred. "She wants to talk to me about a few projects in which Wayne Enterprises could invest. Don't you have to go to school, Dick?"

Dick and Alfred exchanged glances and smirked. That was Bruce's way to tell them to stay out of his business and if he wanted to go out with an attractive woman who also happened to hate his secret alter-ego, that was his problem.

Long after Dick was gone, Bruce dropped the newspaper. It was just him and Alfred in the sunny kitchen that had always been Alfred's territory in the Manor since Bruce could remember.

"I'll be on Crime Alley tonight" the man said. "Unless there's an emergency, I would like my whereabouts to be unknown."

Alfred stopped washing the dishes and faced his master with sadness in his eyes. "You don't have to go to that dreadful place every year, Master Bruce."

It was a conversation they had been having for years. Every year, on the night of Thomas and Martha Wayne's death, Batman went to the alley behind the theater where they were murdered and then he would patrol the place, daring any criminal to show his face.

"I know I don't have to, Alfred" Bruce said. "I'm going because I need to."

Alfred wished he could tell his master not to go, that nothing good ever came from remembering that tragic night, but he knew there was no stopping Bruce just like he knew he would never leave his side.

"Very well, Master Bruce. Master Richard and I will be here waiting for your return" the butler said, placing a warm hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Please have a lovely lunch with Miss Vale."

* * *

Bruce wasn't expecting Vicki not to mention Batman. Actually, he had a few lines rehearsed in case she asked for his opinion or worse, an interview, about the Dark Knight.

The first half hour went by pretty well. Vicki was ambitious, but she wasn't a bad person or a bad reporter. She genuinely cared about Gotham and Bruce liked her (very attractive too!). Still, Bruce couldn't help but cough when their conversation about charity balls suddenly turned into a debate about Batman using a child like Robin to fight crime.

"You want me to  _ **what?**_ " Bruce asked.

"Chair the committee of concerned citizens against the Batman" the red haired woman repeated softly but unwavering.

"Vicki, you know that I put my money and my reputation on the line, when it comes to a worthy cause, but…"

Vicki smiled and drank a gulp of water. "We don't need your money… Just your good name."

"I serve on the boards of any number of socially concerned organizations…" Bruce added.

"And you've invested much of your money in Hospitals and free clinics around the city" the young reporter interrupted. "You're a humanitarian."

"Why don't you just say it, Vicki? I'm a classic victim of liberal guilt."

Vicki nodded and stared at Bruce. "I think a man who was orphaned by gunfire, only to inherit a fortune built on munitions has a right to feel a little guilty. Who better than Bruce Wayne to understand and take a stand against the violence of  _a Batman_?" the young reporter almost spat the word. "Violence which can only lead to more violence?"

Bruce almost sighed. It was true that Batman needed to use violence, but what would happen if he didn't?

"Yeah, well, it seems to me that without Batman this city would be a helluva lot more violent."

Vicki frowned and shook her head in disbelief. "You're always defending that Halloween hooligan! He's a menace. He's even forcing a young boy to fight crime with him. How disturbing is that?"

"We don't know if Robin is being forced to fight" Bruce answered, staring attentively at an elderly couple and the young man who had clearly just stolen the old man's wallet. "Excuse me."

"Wha… Bruce?"

In a matter of seconds, Bruce ran to the thief and accused him of stealing the wallet. Obviously he ended up fighting and even let the thug punch him the face before "failing" to tackle him, though not before he managed to get the wallet back.

"Bruce!" Vicki cried out, helping him get up. "You were foolish to get involved… But I love you for it!"

Bruce touched his throbbing jaw and smiled. "I'm still not chairing that committee…"

Vicki chuckled and grabbed him by the arm. "Why didn't any of these other upstanding citizens pitch in and help you?"

"What? And be called fascist vigilantes by the media?"

The old man who had been robbed ran towards them, his face red with worry. "Are you alright?"

"Yes" Bruce answered, giving the wallet back. "Here's your wallet. Somehow in the scuffle I managed to get hold of it."

After accepting the old man's gratitude, Bruce walked Vicki to his car.

"Are you going to be alright?" the young woman asked, glancing worriedly at his injured face. "We can go to an emergency room…"

"And put a cold compress on my bruised ego? No thanks…" Bruce answered, though he was pretty sure his face was all over the internet by now. Joy. "Give you a lift somewhere?"

"Thanks, no" Vicki said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't think you'd much enjoy driving me down to Crime Alley."

The billionaire's blue eyes widened with surprise. "Crime Alley? What takes you there, of all places?"

"A story, what else?" Vicki said, leaning against his car with her usual confident smile. "We're doing a follow-up on that controversial school that's opened down there."

Bruce blinked and his lips slowly turned into a smile. "Oh, yes… I've followed that on the news. Ma Gunn's School for Boys. How is the old girl's battle with the powers-that-be coming along?"

"Pretty well. The media has publicized her back-to-basics approach… But because she shelters runaways without cooperating with social agencies,  _'the old girl'_ has her enemies" Vicki explained, her eyes pleading to Bruce. "You ought to consider giving her some funding, Bruce… the school is accredited, you know… Ma Gunn was a teacher in Australia for years."

While driving home from his lunch with Vicki, Bruce couldn't help but wonder how ironic that the reporter would invoke Crime Alley on that day. The past seemed to be pulling him towards that place.

When he got to the Manor, he learned that Dick was at Barbara's house working on a school project. Apparently everyone had been very curious about his nose, since they all knew Dick Grayson wasn't the kind of boy who got into fights.

Alfred tried to make the evening as normal as possible, constantly asking about Bruce's lunch with Vicki Vale and clearly disappointed that his master didn't invite her to the manor. The butler had apparently made his life's mission to see his master settle down. At this point, Bruce suspected Alfred would set him up with a chimpanzee just to get him to date and socialize.

There would be no socializing tonight.

Batman left the Batcave as soon as the sun went down and drove silently to Crime Alley, his mind lost in his memories of his parents and the night that changed his life forever.

He parked the Batmobile near the closed theater and walked to the same place where his parents had been shot. As he touched the ground where their blood had been, he remembered the boy he was and how helpless and guilty he felt. If he hadn't made them take a shortcut, if he had been brave enough to face the thief, if only he had been stronger and bigger and able to fight…

Slowly, Batman stood up and walked to the dirty street. Bruce Wayne wasn't able to help anyone that night, but Batman had the strength to do it now.

Unfortunately, it seemed that every criminal was aware of his arrival. The word was out on Crime Alley and no one dared to make a move on the night the Batman always visited that hellhole.

The Dark Knight sighed. He needed to make a few surprise visits to this place.

 

* * *

 

Like everyone on Crime Alley, Jason knew tonight was the Bat's night.

The streets were all but silent. There would be no drug dealing, no hookers waving in the corners, no robberies… It was perfect for him.

Grabbing his tire iron, the black haired boy opened a window and came down the fire escape. He wasn't afraid of the Big, Bad Bat like they all were. Who said he was really going to show up? Maybe it was all a lie to keep them inside and scared like wusses.

Tonight he didn't have to worry about competition or being knifed, all he had to do was get the tires as fast as he could so he could sell them.

After finding his first car, Jason got down to work. He didn't feel guilty, if those people could afford nice cars, they could buy new tires. But to a street kid like him, those tires made the difference between being hungry or eating.

He needed the money. He needed to eat and he wasn't gonna hide just because there was a crazy guy out there dressed like a bat.

Therefore, Jason worked all night kneeling in the mud, his face and hands filled with oil and taking the tires to his apartment before going to steal the next ones. Unfortunately, Crime Alley had a bad reputation and almost no one ever parked their car there anymore. By the time the sun was rising, Jason had only stolen tires from two cars.

The boy walked to the old theater, desperately trying to find more cars. Eight tires weren't enough and those weren't even in good shape. All that work and the old guy was gonna laugh in his face and refuse to pay him.

That was when he saw it.

"No way…"

At first, the boy didn't want to believe his eyes but… it was! It was the Batmobile! He recognized it from the TV and the papers. That was Batman's car!

Slowly, Jason walked to the car until he was close enough so see his reflection. It really was a cool car! The coolest he had ever seen.

In awe, the boy reached out and his fingers touched the black metal. He was expecting some sort of alarm or a trap, but the car stayed quiet.

Jason stared at his tire iron. How much money could he make with those tires? Batman's tires! They had to be worth a fortune.

But… it was Batman's car! It was insane to steal his tires! It was bad enough that he had punched Robin. How could he steal his tires?

Still, they were Batman's tires!

Kneeling on the ground, Jason Peter Todd, age eleven, proceeded to remove the first tire of the Batmobile. He kept expecting the car to electrocute him or turn into a giant robot and fry him, but it came out just like the other tires he had stolen.

" _See? Batman is not that special!"_  Jason thought, happily taking the first of the tires to his apartment.

The next two tires came out just as easily and the boy ran to the Batmobile for the last time to finish his job.

" **Unreal!** " a low voice said, forcing Jason to stop and look around.

Since he didn't see anyone, kid silently walked to the car until a dark figure suddenly loomed over him, almost making him lose his balance and scream.

"Well… Come to finish the job, boy?"

Jason's eyes widened like saucers as his mind realized who he was talking too. Batman, the real Dark Night, was standing right in front of him and looking extremely pissed.

Well… fuck.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the iconic scene of Jason trying to steal the tires of the Batmobile. You would think Batman had an alarm, huh?
> 
> The dialogue was based on Batman #408, when Jason first appeared.


	3. Jason Todd

The Bat looked bigger than Jason had imagined. Stronger too. Scarier. He found himself looking at the famous hero of Gotham in childish awe and fear, two things he _swore_ he would never do if he saw the man.

Nevertheless, he broke from his daze quickly. He had learned the hard way that he couldn’t react slowly in the streets if he wanted to dodge a fist or a knife. This time was no different.

Jason had fought against big guys before; it didn’t matter if this one in particular was dressed like a stupid bat, so he braced himself and slowly hid the tire iron behind his back.

“You’re going to give me back my tires” Batman ordered flatly, glaring at the boy.

“Who says I took’em?” Jason glared back.

The Bat blinked as if he wasn’t used to people talking back to him, but his frowning got bigger. They both knew what had happened to the tires.

“What else is the tire iron for?” he asked bluntly, placing his right hand over his hip.

“THIS!”

Taking advantage of the moment when Batman had slightly lowered his guard, Jason stroked him in the gut with tire iron using all the strength he had.

“You little son of a…” Batman groaned.

“Try and catch me, you big boob!”

 Jason didn’t wait for the Dark Knight to retaliate and ran towards the nearest alley. No matter how many times he looked behind him, he didn’t see the Bat. Still, he wasn’t going to stop until he reached his apartment.

He would wait a few hours and then he was going to the old man and try to sell the tires and get some food. After that… he’d figure something out, like he always did.

* * *

 

Batman had to admit that he was a little impressed. Most of the thugs he fought, and even his own allies, wouldn’t dare talk back to him. Yet, this small, skinny child had not only stolen from him but had the guts to actually face him when he got caught and attack him.

Bruce didn’t know if the kid was brave or just foolish, maybe both. Still, he was impressed.

The boy had a strong swing and good reflexes. He had also been able to notice when Batman’s body relaxed enough for him to attack. If he was older and stronger, Batman would have to be wary.

It would have been easier for him to simply run after the kid and catch him, but he decided to follow the boy from afar and watch him. That way, he was likely to lead him to his tires.

The kid stopped by a rundown building, with several warnings about collapsing, and climbed the rusty fire escape stairs before entering through a broken window. Batman followed him shortly, using the shadows to hide his presence until the boy got into one of the apartments, sat in a mattress on the floor and, to the hero’s chagrin, lit up a cigarette and started smoking.

“That will stunt your growth, kid” Batman said, moving from the shadows.

The boy’s blue-green eyes widened with shock and the cigarette fell on the floor. For a few seconds, the kid looked young and scared like the small child he was. But his eyes hardened almost instantly and he stood up to face Batman again.

“There!” the boy cried out angrily, pointing at three tires leaning against the wall. “Take your lousy tires already and go! Leave me alone!”

Every inch in boy’s body was filled with anger and defiance, his eyes dark and devoid of innocence. Though Batman’s expression remained impassive, he couldn’t help thinking that no child should look like that. It… it reminded him too much of his own eyes.

Slowly, he looked around and saw the drifty apartment, the old and worn-out mattress and the pieces of wood and paint coming off of the rotting walls.

“Do you… live here?” he asked softly.

If possible, the boy’s glare got even darker. “Yeah! What of it? It’s mine, and I like it!”

Batman crossed his arms over his chest. Fortunately, his past years with Dick and the other sidekicks had given him plenty of patience with broody children and enough experience to know that any well intentioned questions would be perceived as unwanted snooping.

“Where are your parents?” he asked slowly, his voice a bit softer.

The boy shrugged and also crossed his arms over his chest.

“I don’t know where my old man is. Doing time again, most likely” the boy said with contempt.

“And your mother?”

The kid’s arms slumped slightly and his gaze turned towards an old photo of a woman near the mattress. For the first time, he looked sad.

“She’s dead. She got sick, okay? Now get outa here!” he yelled before trying to punch Batman. “Or do I have to make you?”

It was easy to grab the boy and lift him since he weighted close to nothing, but he never stopped fighting Batman.

“You’re a scrappy one; I’ll say that much about you…” Batman said flatly as he held the struggling child arm and lifted him in the air effortlessly.

“I don’t care what say about me! I don’t care what you think. Just leave me alone!” the boy yelled in frustration. “And put me down!”

“I will if you stop trying to hit me” Batman said with a tone of voice that sent most of Gotham’s thugs running for the hills, but only made this boy’s pout grow even bigger as he stared at him with a glare almost as frightening as his own. “You know you can’t beat me and you know that you can’t make me do anything by force, so **_stop moving!_** ”

They continued their glaring contest for a while until the boy eventually lowered his eyes and his body relaxed.

“Fine!”

As promised, though still vigilant, Batman put the boy down. Sulking, the kid picked up one of the tires and his tire iron while Bruce grabbed the other two before leaving the building.

The boy remained stubbornly silent until they reached the Batmobile. Bruce wasn’t particularly fond of conversations himself, but he couldn’t help wondering more and more about this street kid. Besides, there was no way he was going to let him go back to that decrepit apartment and keep stealing to survive.

“I’m afraid it isn’t enough to just give me back my property” Batman said.

The kid glared at him again before focusing on rolling the tire down the alley.

“You’re gonna fink to the cops, huh? Figures” he said bitterly.

“Not the cops. I think we do have to tell the juvenile authorities about you…”

“ ** _Social workers?_** Give me a break!” the boy interrupted angrily.  “I can fend for myself just fine! I know how to make it on the streets… and I like it here!”

Batman seriously doubted someone would like to live on the streets, but this kid was stubborn.

“I don’t want to wind up on some crummy orphanage or some foster home with ten other kids where I’ll just be another meal ticket. I’m doing just fine on my own!”

The worst part of it was that Bruce knew what he was saying was the ugly the truth of the foster system. Obviously, there were exceptions and some kids found new homes just like Dick, but boys like this kid usually ended up hating the place and run away after years of waiting for someone to adopt them.

“What is your name?” Batman asked, watching the boy place his tires back in his car.

“Why do you wanna know? What is it to you anyway?”

“Maybe because I care.”

His answer seemed to surprise the boy, but he quickly shook his head. “No, you don’t. You don’t care about me. You just wanna make sure I don’t steal anything again.”

“That too, but I do care about you” Batman said. “You’ve been on the streets for too long and this isn’t the kind of life a kid like you should have. You deserve better.”

The boy’s expression went from angry to surprised, before he looked down and put the last tire in its place.

“Why would you care? You’re the Batman. Why would you care for some stupid street kid like me?”

The boy sound so miserable and lonely that Bruce almost placed a hand on his shoulder before controlling himself. He obviously wasn’t used to people caring for him, which made the Dark Knight feel even worse.

“I think you’re far from stupid” Batman said. “Why wouldn’t I care about you?”

The rubbed in nose on his sleeve and got up, staring awkwardly at the ground. “It’s Jason. My name, I mean. Jason Todd.”

Batman nodded, glad for this small victory. “How long was your mother sick, Jason?”

Jason looked at the Batmobile, avoiding Batman’s gaze. “Over a year… I found her food and stuff…kept her warm… and alive… as long as I could.”

This time, Batman did place a hand on his shoulder. Jason cringed, but he didn’t push him away.

“What about school, son?”

“Tch! I graduated a long time ago from the streets of crime alley. That’s all I need to know!” Jason got up and moved away from Batman’s hand. “And don’t call me son. I’m no one’s son.”

Batman nodded and lowered his arm, that’s what happened when he got emotional. “Alright… We’ll make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“No social workers. No cops. But you have to go to school.”

“What school?” Jason asked.

“Ma Gunn’s school for boys… right here on Crime Alley.”

Jason crossed his arms over his chest, considering his options. “Well… I hear that’s better than a real school. Alright, deal!”

When the kid stretched out his hand, Bruce almost smiled before taking it.

Moments later, he had knocked on Ma Gunn’s door who opened the door herself. She looked like everyone’s favorite grandmother and smiled sweetly at Jason while Batman asked her to take him in. Not only he was going to school, but he was also going to have a roof over his head.

“Learn something, Jason” Batman said, turning around.

Jason looked torn about what to say, until he finally smiled for the first time since they had met.

“See ya, Batman!” the boy waved.

Hiding his own smile, Batman disappeared.

“Come on in, Jason” Ma Gunn said, pulling the boy inside the school.

As soon as the door close, Jason was surrounded by several older boys, armed from knives to baseball bats. He looked at Ma Gunn, who simply grinned at the scene.

“We’ve got a new pupil, luvs” the old woman said, pulling a cigar from her robe. “The Batman sent ‘im… Now, who wants to snuff the little stoolie for old Ma?”

 

 


	4. Lesson Learned

Jason thought he was dreaming. He was having a nightmare. A very bizarre nightmare.

It was strange enough to be caught by the Bat and not being beaten up for stealing his tires. It was even weirder that he hadn't dragged his ass to the nearest police station or called the social services.

Let's make a deal, he said like he actually cared about a kid like him. No cops, no social workers, but you have to go to Ma Gunn's School for Boys right here on Crime Alley.

He thought about food, a warm bed with clean sheets and blankets and hot water when he wanted to take a bath. He wanted to believe, very badly, that his luck was going to change for the better this time.

Jason should have known that was too good to be true. If he had run away like his gut was telling him, he wouldn't be surrounded by a bunch of teen punks while an old, two-faced bitch sneered at him with glee.

"I want that brat quiet as a little baby, do you understand?" Ma Gunn ordered from the top of the stairs.

Three of her punks closed in on Jason, their bodies ready to pounce.

"Leave him to us, Ma" the blond, hulk like guy groaned. "We'll handle his schooling."

"Yeah! We'll walk him over to the river for an  _ **in-depth**_  swimmin' lesson."

"We'll  _ **learn**_  him how to hold his breath under water… for an  _ **expensive**_  amount of time!"

Geez, even their stupid remarks were dumb as fuck.

Just as one of them tried to grab him from behind, Jason elbowed him right on the gut while kicking the one in front in the balls. With a small grin of satisfaction at the dumbasses squeals of pain, he swiftly punched the remaining thug.

"What are you doing? He's just a little kid, for crying out loud" Ma Gunn hissed in exasperation. "All of you get him!"

Jason tried. He punched, kicked and even tried to bite but they were too many and soon he was being tossed to the ground like a rag doll.

"I'm sorry, Ma… Ouch!" the dumb kid with the pink jacket whinned while the old hag pulled one of his years.

"It's  _'we'll teach him'_ , not  _'learn him'_. And it's  _'extensive amount of time'_ , not  _'expensive'_!"

Finally, they grabbed Jason and pulled him towards the old hag. Though he glared at her with a bloody lip, she smiled like they had invited him over for tea instead of beating him up.

"You're a brave one, aren't you boy? I like that. Too bad you're one of Batman's friends."

"Batman is  **not**  my friend! I stole the tires of his dumbass car!" Jason cried out in rage as the other boys laughed at his high-pitched voice. "The bastard said I wouldn't go to juvie if I came here!"

"Oh, really?" Ma Gunn answered, still sneering like the old witch she was. "Find him a bed, luvs. He's gonna be a model student."

Jason felt a slap on the back of his head and two huge guys dragged him up the stairs. There was no way to escape. Not now.

Everything hurt, he was trapped with a crazy bitch and her gang and it was all Batman's fault. The crazy Bat had ditched him there with those maniacs. All that talk about caring about him was all bullshit! Unless… unless he didn't know who Ma Gunn really was…

No! He was the Goddamn Batman. The freaking Dark Knight. How could he not know?

* * *

When Bruce got home, it was a little past seven. He knew Alfred should be worried since he usually came back before sunrise and, sure enough, his butler was already waiting for him on the cave.

"Busy night, Master Bruce?" the old man asked politely, though his eyes were filled with concern.

"Not really" Batman said, pulling down his cowl and heading for the showers. He wasn't lying. The night itself had been rather boring and uneventful until his encounter with the boy. The kid had definitely left an impression on Bruce, though he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

He hoped Jason was alright.

When he left the shower only wearing his pants, Bruce heard one of the doors to the cave open and saw Dick. The boy had clearly been training, his face blushed and sweaty but smiling the moment he saw his mentor.

"Morning, Bruce" Dick greeted cheerfully. "How was patrol?"

"Monotonous" Bruce answered reaching for his locker.

"Wow! Were you hit on the gut?" the boy exclaimed.

Bruce stared down and saw that his abdomen had a long, purplish bruise. Jason had hit him harder than he thought.

"It's nothing" Bruce said, dressing his shirt.

"Who did you fight? Two-Face? Killer Croc? Don't tell me it was the Joker."

Bruce frowned at his ward and sat at the computer. "Take a shower and go eat your breakfast, Dick. You're going to be late for school."

"I have time. I was hoping I could talk to you…"

The black-haired man turned around to face him. "What is it?"

Dick looked down and rubbed his foot against the ground. "I wanted to know if… if you're going to need me on patrol tonight."

"Yes. Why? Do you have other plans?"

"Huh… no. Not really  _plans_. It's just… Wally texted me last night. He said the team was thinking about going to the movies tonight since Conner, M'gann and Kaldur never went to a movie theater before. He asked if I wanted to go."

Bruce rested his arms on the chair and noticed how uncomfortable Dick was feeling. "Do you want to go?"

The boy seemed torn between his duty as Robin and his wish to be with his friends. "I… I want to go, but I won't if you need me. I'll just text Wally and tell him I'm busy."

"Wait" Bruce said with a sigh. He kept forgetting that Dick wasn't like him. Dick wanted to bond with people, build friendships and relationships… everything Bruce felt awkward about. It wasn't fair to force his adoptive son to live in the same isolation, especially since he didn't want to. "You can go with the team. We'll go on patrol tomorrow."

Dick stared at Bruce with his blue eyes wide. "Are you sure? It's no big deal, Bruce. I can go with them any other time. If you need me…"

"I'll be fine. Just come back as soon as the movie is over."

Dick's smile shone as brightly as the sun. "Thank you, Bruce! I'll be back before midnight!"

* * *

After Bruce ate breakfast with them and went to sleep for a few hours, Alfred finally allowed him to go back to work on the cave.

He was planning on researching more about Vandal Savage, but he kept getting distracted. He couldn't help thinking about the angry, street boy he met.

Jason Todd had bothered him in a way he hadn't felt since he met Dick. Maybe it was because he looked physically like him and Dick, maybe because he was gifted and powerful at such a young age, or maybe because his eyes reminded Bruce too much of his own.

Since he wasn't getting any work done on Savage, Bruce opened a new file on Jason Todd and began his research using the fingerprints the kid had left all over his car. It wasn't difficult to find data about him. His full name was Jason Peter Todd, age eleven, son of Willis and Catherine Todd.

Willis Todd had a long criminal record even before he married. From stealing to murder suspect, Willis had never been able to keep a steady job all his life. Then, he had married eighteen year old Catherine who was already pregnant with his child.

Jason's life had been harsh from the beginning.

There were a few incidents after Jason's birth. Willis had been caught using his son to steal seven times before his fifth birthday and both the child and Catherine had been admitted to the hospital with broken bones and bruises from  _"falling down the stairs"_  in more than one occasion.

When Jason was nine, his father was finally arrested after Batman busted one of Two-Face's drug dealing operations and sent the names of his men to Commissioner Gordon. After that, Catherine's health took a turn for the worst when she began to use drugs to try to ease her depression.

Social workers were reluctant to take Jason from his mother, since he seemed to be the only motivation she had to go to rehab. Even when she was first hospitalized, the boy ran away from the foster home and returned to his mother. A year later, Catherine died from an OD.

Willis Todd was still in jail and all of his brothers and sisters had already passed away. Catherine had been an only child and her parents died from a car accident several years ago. Literally, Jason had no one and was going down the same path to become a criminal like his father before him.

Rubbing his eyes, Bruce got up from his chair. He had done what was best for the boy. He had given him the opportunity to get an education and build a better life for himself; the rest was up to him. Bruce had no reason to feel responsible, even if he had been the reason Willis Todd was in jail. If the man had stayed, his family wouldn't be doing that much better. He was a drunk, violent and abusive father who should stay as far away from Jason as he could.

The boy deserved better and Ma Gunn's school could be the solution. Still, there was no reason why Batman shouldn't keep an eye on him.

* * *

If Jason didn't know the old hag was nuts, he sure as hell knew it now.

She wasn't teaching the boys math, history or any of the other subjects like in a real school. She was teaching them how to use guns, how to break into safes, how to hack into security videos and programs. No wonder she was filthy rich, she was no different from the mobsters on Crime Alley.

They were going to rob a museum that night. During the day, she and her boys looked like another innocent field trip but no one noticed the kid who stayed there to cut the alarms and hack the cameras. Tonight, they were going to come back, get rid of the guards and steal the jewels from the exhibit.

Jason had enough. He wasn't going to stay there another second. The guys he had kicked before were already planning to kill him and dump his body into the river and he seriously doubted Ma Gunn would give a shit unless they screwed up and got caught.

As soon as the sun was down, the raven ran away through a window and came back to his rundown apartment. It could be a dump, but it was safer. He'd learn his lesson. The only one he could really count on was himself.

 


	5. The Bat Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter is a bit longer since a lot of stuff happens.
> 
> First part is Bruce's POV, the second is Jason's POV.
> 
> I hope you like it!

As soon as he went on patrol, Batman drove to Crime Alley. In his head, he decided that his annual patrol on the anniversary of his parents' death had become too predictable, thus a surprise visit would prove a lot more advantageous.

He slowed down as he drove by Ma Gunn's School and stared at the old building, wondering how Jason was doing. He was going to check up on him but maybe he should give the boy a bit of space. Kids like Jason didn't like to be continuously monitored and Bruce didn't want to ruin his new chance at a better life by scaring him away.

 _Still_ , he would check up on him soon.

After parking the Batmobile (with improved security), Batman took five minutes to find two drug dealers threatening their regular costumer to pay what he owned them. One kick and several punches later and the two were on the floor while the costumer ran for his life.

"You're not supposed to be here" one of the dealers whined. "Not today."

"Don't count on it" Batman answered, tying to them to an electricity pole and walking away.

"Wait! Don't leave us here!"

"It won't be for long, the police will be here soon" Batman vanished into the nearest roof using his grapnel gun.

All in all, it was a very productive night. He had stopped four robberies, two attempted murders and a rape. Bruce wanted to believe that Gotham was better now, but the truth was that he had spent so much time trying to save the world that he had neglected his city. Not that he regretted joining the Justice League, saving the world from exploding was technically saving Gotham as well, but the city didn't have his undivided attention anymore and that needed to be fixed soon.

Both he and Dick were spending way too much time outside and the crime lords of Gotham had taken advantage of their absence, but not anymore. Batman wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

"I can't believe this!" a man shouted, making Batman lean from the roof. A man around his fifties was standing before an old but nice car which, Batman assumed, belonged to him. However, the car had no tires. "Fuck this place! I was only gone for an hour!"

Frowning, Batman stared at the abandoned theater and jumped to the next roof in the direction of a familiar rundown building. He didn't want to believe it, but all his instincts were pointing in that direction. Bruce hoped that he was wrong for a change.

Like the night before, he entered the building silently and glared at the pile of tires leaning against the wall and at the raven-haired boy who was listening to an old Mp3 before grabbing his headphones and ripping them off his hears with an angry movement.

"Hey!" Jason yelled as he looked up and his eyes widened, first in shock but then with annoyance. "What are  _ **you**_  doing here?"

"You didn't keep your end of the bargain" Batman said drily, barely hiding his anger under the cowl.

"Fuck off!" boy hissed.

"Watch your mouth!" Batman exclaimed, letting some of his own anger and disappointment slip through his voice. "Why aren't you at Ma Gunn's school? Not even 24 hours and you're already stealing. Why?"

The boy glared at the Dark Knight but refused to answer.

" _ **Why, Jason?**_ "

"Like you don't know!" Jason yelled back. "If you wanted to get me killed, you could have done it last night!"

Batman blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Tch! Don't play dumb! Is that the place where you send the bad kids you catch? All that talk about caring was just a scam to make me trust you so could send me to that kindergarten of crime! You're not a hero! You're a big, fat liar!"

Bruce stared at the boy's furious face, trying to stay neutral. Jason's cheeks were blushed; his eyes wide and bright and his voice didn't waver. He honestly believed what he was saying.

"I don't know what you're talking about. All I did was give you a chance to get an education!" Batman answered. "I want you to have a future away from these streets, Jason."

"Stop lying! You think everybody here is a crook. You and your super friends only care about the good, nice people and the rest of us are just trash to you. You don't know what's like! I don't wanna be a criminal and I never hurt anyone. I'm just doing what I need to survive!"

Bruce stared back at Jason, noticing his teary eyes, the bloody lip and the bruise on his forehead. He was angry and upset with him, the other heroes and probably the world who had failed him when he needed. Jason believed Batman had betrayed him after gaining his trust.

"You're not trash. I never thought that about you" he said softly. "What happened at the school? Did the other boys beat you?"

Jason crossed his arms around his chest, still shaking. "Of course they did. The old hag told them too."

"Ma Gunn told them to beat you? Why would she…?"

"To break me! What else? She's nuts!" the boy looked deep into Batman's face. After a while, his shoulders slumped and he gaped slightly at the Dark Knight. "You mean… you mean you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

Jason kept staring, unsure of what do say. "You're Batman. You know every criminal in Gotham. You  _ **had**_  to know…"

Batman picked up two of the tires and handed the rest to Jason, who still looked torn between confusion and mistrust. "Tell me what happened at the school while you put that man's tires back in their place."

Because he didn't have a choice, Jason told him everything.

"She hides weapons behind the chalkboard and then teaches us how they work and when we should use the right gun… knifes too. A couple of kids already know how to use them and how to hack into a security camera; cut the alarms and stuff like that… They've been stealing, that's why she's so rich. She's going to steal the diamonds from the museum tonight, that's why there are no lights on the school… They're all going there."

Batman heard the boy as he placed the last tire on the car. By the time he was done, the Dark Knight frowned.

"Do you expect me to believe…?"

"I don't care what you believe!" Jason cried out angrily. "I'm telling the truth. Just because I'm a Crime Alley kid, doesn't mean I'm a liar."

"My car!"

Batman turned around and saw the car's owner walking towards them with a mix of surprise and happiness in his face as he saw the tires back.

"Ah… Thank you, Batman" the man said awkwardly. "Thank you for getting my tires back."

"Yes, but I would like you to keep an eye on this boy here for a while" Batman said.

The man looked behind Batman with a confused expression in his face. "Boy? What boy?"

When Bruce turned around he saw that Jason was gone.

" _Damn. So that's what it feels like…"_

* * *

Later, Bruce would question why he drove to Gotham's Museum as soon as Jason was gone. It wasn't because he actually thought an old, sweet woman like Ma Gunn would shelter runaways and orphans only to turn them into her goons, but he also didn't believe Jason was lying. The problem was that emotion was getting in the way of logic and there was only one way to sort this out.

It also made him realize how emotionally attached he had become to Jason Todd without meaning too. He'd have to take care of that too when he found him again and, hopefully, regained his trust, even if he didn't understand why it had become so important to him.

But now, Batman was mostly worried about getting into the Museum through the skylight without sounding the alarm. His concern doubled when he realized it at been shut down and saw several guards fallen on the ground.

A quick inspection told him they were alive, just unconscious due to someone placing a cloth with chloroform on their faces.

" _You were right, Jason"_  Batman thought.  _"When this is over, I'll make sure you know that."_

The main exhibits still had their alarms intact, including the diamonds. If Ma Gunn was a smart as she appeared to be, she would definitely go for the smaller and yet most expensive one: the Deathly Smile necklace.

Hiding in the shadows of the diamond exhibit, Batman saw a kid knocking out another night guard with chloroform and heading towards one of the back doors. Deducing that he didn't have much time, Batman changed the security protocols of the necklace's glass case and hid on top of one of the gargoyles.

Soon, Ma Gunn walked triumphantly through the exhibit with the boys in tow. Batman closed his fists with anger as he saw the greed in her features and the glee in her eyes. How could he not have seen it before? How could have been so wrong about her?

How could he have left a child who had trusted him with someone before investigating her meticulously? He had been stupid. Stupid, naïve and careless.

"Hey, Ma? Check out all the rocks!" one of the kids exclaimed, his fingers itching to take as many diamonds as he could. "Why don't we just take them all?"

"Yeah! Why not, Ma? We're gonna get rich!"

"Quality over quantity, luvs" Ma answered. "The one we need is this one: the Deathly Smile. Many necks were sliced over it. It's priceless, which means we can get all the money we can dream off once we sell it on the black market."

"Can we get bigger guns with that money, Ma?"

Ma Gunn grinned. "Of course, my dear. We're all going to get new toys. Now… let me show you how to deactivate the alarm. Soon, you will be able to do this on your own."

The boys surrounded the old woman, barely holding their excitement while she showed them how to steal. However, as soon as Ma Gunn switched off the alarm of the glass case, the main alarm began to ring all across the Museum.

The boys looked around nervously and Ma Gunn glared at the boy who had stayed in the Museum.

"You worthless buffoon!" she hissed with pure hatred in her voice. "You didn't disable the main alarm?"

"I… I did, Ma. I swear! I don't know what went wrong…"

"I do" Batman said, gliding to the ground and knocking four teens unconscious.

" _The Bat!_  It's the Bat" the boys yelled, pulling their knives and handguns from their pockets.

"Batman… You did this" Ma Gunn said, glaring at the vigilante.

"I changed the alarm of that case. The police are on their on their way. It's over Ma Gunn."

"It's not over until I say so. Kill him, luvs!"

It was hard to knock all those teenagers unconscious without hurting them seriously. The boys were filled with pure rage and honest devotion to Ma Gunn, which she had no trouble using to her own ends. What angered Batman the most, was the indifference she showed every time one of her  _'luvs'_  was knocked out. There was no care, no love. They were simply a means to an end.

"These kids trust you, Ma Gunn" Batman said, surrounded by passed out teens. "They follow you, they're loyal… and you use them as pawns on your schemes."

"There are a lot of children on the streets. I can get new pupils any time" she answered. "If you're here, that means that little rat told you all about us. I thought he had potential, but he turned out to be a huge waste of time. He doesn't have what it takes."

Batman walked slowly towards the old woman. "No, he's just better than you. I'll make sure you're not going to manipulate anymore children from now on."

"Oh! What are you going to do, Dark Knight? Surely, you wouldn't beat up an old, defenseless lady?"

"I wasn't going to" Batman said, hitting her swiftly on the neck and rendering her unconscious. "But you're no lady."

Behind Batman, one of the boys lifted up his head at the same time he saw Ma Gunn fall to the ground. Shaking with rage, the boy grabbed a gun and pointed it to the Dark Knight's back.

"Batman!" a boy's voice yelled, followed by the sound of a gunshot.

Bruce ducked just in time as the bullet hit the wall in front of him and turned around. Jason was wrestling one of the boys, using all his strength to keep him still.

"You little fucker!" the older boy cried out, elbowing Jason on the chest and pointing the gun to his head. "I'm gonna blow your fucking brains out! You little shit!"

Surprisingly agile, Jason kicked the teen's hand, forcing him to drop the gun, and punched him on the face. Already dizzy from Batman's punches, the teen finally lost consciousness.

"If you're gonna shoot, just shoot. Don't stand there and call me names" Jason said, standing over the teen.

Batman walked over to the boy, still surprised to see him there and even more amazed that he had managed to singlehandedly disarm and defeat someone a lot taller and stronger than he was to save Batman's life (though the suit was bullet proof).

"Why are you here, Jason?"

"I didn't think you believed me, so I came here to get them" the boy answered, rubbing his hands on his dirty sweatshirt.

Batman frowned. "By  _yourself_? Why didn't you call the police?"

"I'm no stoolie, but I wasn't let them do this" Jason answered. "Someone needs to show what the old hag is really like."

Batman sighed as he bounded the hands and feet of the teens and Ma Gunn, aware that Jason was staring at him. The boy was brave and gifted, but he was also brash and impulsive and those traits could get him killed.

"Do you realize that if I wasn't here, you could have died?" Batman grumbled, glaring at the boy.

Jason's grin faded and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Someone had to stop her. I had to try… Besides, I kinda saved you."

Without answering, Batman walked towards the exit and motioned Jason to follow him. Outside, he looked at the boy once more.

"How did you get in?" he asked.

"Same way you did… the skylight. I saw your bat buggy parked outside."

Batman had to control his hands from rubbing his temples. This kid was one of a kind, in a good and a bad way.

"I see my wheels are intact" the Dark Knight said when they reached the batmobile.

"Yeah…" Jason looked at the street and his eyes widened with fear as he heard the police sirens. "Listen, huh… Can I split before the cops show? I really don't want to go to juvie again."

Instead of answering, Batman kept staring at the boy's face. He knew the system wasn't going to work for him. Jason was going back to the streets and keep doing what he needed to survive the harsh life in Gotham's underworld. If he was lucky enough not to get shot or stabbed in his youth, he would grow up to do wrong. Jason would be corrupted by the streets and the need to survive at any cost and this little boy with a sense of justice would vanish forever.

His power would eventually catch a crime lord's eye, who would almost certainly try to recruit him. Batman imagined arriving at a crime scene and seeing Jason there, needing to fight him and sending him to prison. It wasn't necessarily his future, but it was the most likely one.

Batman didn't want this future to happen. He didn't want to end up fighting Jason.

"I'm just gonna go, ok? Later" Jason turned around when Batman suddenly grabbed his arm. "Huh? What are you doing?" Jason's exasperation changed into confusion as soon as he saw Batman's face. "Batman?"

Bruce knew he couldn't save everyone. He couldn't stop all the children from growing into criminals. He couldn't help them all, but… he could try and save this one. He realized he couldn't leave Jason, not now. Despite all his efforts, he had become too emotionally attached to the boy.

"You're coming with me" Batman ordered, opening the doors of the car.

Jason's blue-green eyes widened with shock. "What?"

"Get in the car."

The boy looked at Batman, the batmobile and at the arriving police cars. "You mean it?"

"Get in" Batman ordered, sitting on the driver's seat.

Carefully, Jason walked towards the batmobile and sat next to the Dark Knight. He cringed when the doors closed and the car disappeared from the alley at an amazing speed.

In the minutes that followed, the boy remained silent, staring awkwardly at the window and occasionally glancing at Batman. He was confused and worried about being trapped in a car with the same man he used to despise. He had no idea what he was going to do to him.

"Bats? Batman?" Jason asked. "Where are taking me?"

"Somewhere safe" Batman replied without taking his eyes off the street.

"Like an orphanage? I told you no one is gonna take me."

"I'm taking you to my house."

Jason gaped and blinked several times, certain that he had heard him wrong. "What?"

"You're going to stay with me now" Batman said decisively.

The kid frowned slightly and glared at the man. "Is this a joke?"

Batman finally looked at Jason and the boy's glare disappeared. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

"But… why? Why would you take me?"

"Because I care."

And with that, Jason remained in a stunned silence for the rest of the short trip.

* * *

Soon, the kid saw the city disappear as the batmobile entered a thick forest. Jason wondered where Batman could live. A secret lair underground? Or maybe a cave like a real bat.

"Hang on" Batman said.

Before Jason asked what he meant, the car bumped into some rocks and headed straight into a waterfall.

"Stay calm, Jason."

Though he was about to scream, Jason stayed quiet as the car jumped right into the waterfall. To the boy's surprise, they didn't crash and Batman drove the car through a tunnel behind the waterfall until they finally stopped.

Batman opened the batmobile's doors and they got out.

"Whoa! You  _do_  live in a cave" Jason gasped, looking around him awe. Not only it was the biggest cave he had ever seen, but it was also filled with cars, a strange plane, computers and a lot of technologic stuff that he had never seen before.

"The Batcave is my secret headquarters, I don't actually live here" Batman said, walking towards the main computer.

Because he still felt worried and didn't know what else to do, Jason followed him, always keeping a safe distance and already looking for places where he could hide or run in case the Bat tried to turn on him. However, with each passing second that scenario seemed more unlikely. Batman had brought him with him and said he was going to stay, though Jason knew that couldn't be right. People didn't just do that, they didn't keep thieves, especially not heroes like Batman.

"When you said I was staying… do you mean for like a night?" the boy asked.

Batman opened one of the lockers and Jason saw many batsuits like the one he was wearing.

"No. I want you to stay far longer than that" Batman answered.

"A week? A month?" Jason kept asking. "Longer?"

"Until you're old enough to buy your own house" Batman answered, kneeling in front of the boy so they were face to face. "I want you to live here."

"You mean… stay here until I'm an adult? As in really live here? With you?"

Batman nodded.

"But… but I stole from you! I stole your tires!" Jason cried out, like he was trying to make Batman understand how insane it was. "Aren't you afraid I'll just run off with your stuff? Or tell people where you live?"

"No, I'm not worried."

"Why?"

"Because you're no stoolie."

Jason opened his mouth to object but closed it slowly and looked down, embarrassed. "People don't like me. I'm too loud, too rude… I'm not a nice, kid. I'm just going to screw up and you're gonna be sorry for taking me in."

Jason looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. For a moment, he almost slapped it away, but found out he kinda didn't want to.

"Maybe… But I'm willing to take a chance on you, Jason."

For the first time in years, Jason felt something warm on his chest that wasn't painful or made him angry. His throat tightened and his eyes stung. It took him a while to realize that he was about to cry, which was  **not**  going to happen, so he sniffed a few times and pretended he had something in his eyes. We wasn't going to admit that he felt disappointed when Batman stood up and took his hand from his shoulder either, but he wasn't ready at all for what Batman was going to do next.

To Jason's dismay, Batman pulled off his cowl. Suddenly, Batman had a human face with black hair and blue eyes, he looked like a person. More amazingly, Jason knew who this man was.

"You're… you're that rich guy!" the boy gasped, completely taken aback. "You're that Wayne guy!"

"Bruce Wayne, actually. But we'll have time to talk about it later. Now, you need to eat and get some rest."

Jason couldn't stop staring at Batman… or Mr. Wayne now. It was overwhelming to see a hero change from a symbol into an real person right in front of him. Right until now, Jason had always thought of Batman as  _Batman_ , not a person because a normal person couldn't do the things he did.

The sound of an elevator broke Jason from his stupor and he subconsciously moved closer to Mr. Wayne when an old man walked into the cave.

"I wasn't expecting you to be home so soon, Master Bruce. Is there something…" the old man's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Jason. "Do we have a visitor?"

Jason frowned with suspicion at the old man with an accent and almost, just almost, grabbed Mr. Wayne's cape like a little, scared kid.

"Alfred, this is Jason Todd. Jason, this is Alfred Pennyworth, my butler. I trust him with my life" Mr. Wayne said, noticing the boy's mistrust.

The butler looked at Jason without revealing any emotion on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Jason."

Jason blinked in confusion. No one had ever called him  _'Master'_  before; then again, he had never met a butler, so he didn't know if that was the way they all behaved or if the old man was making fun of him. But if Batman… Mr. Wayne trusted him, then he probably was alright.

"Huh… Hi, Mr. Pennyworth" the boy whispered.

"Jason isn't a visitor, Alfred" Mr. Wayne said. "He's going to live with us from now on."

The butler's expression revealed nothing, so Jason had no idea if he was against it.

"I see… I'll make the necessary arrangements" Alfred answered with the same poker face.

"Can you get him something to eat?"

"Of course, sir."

Mr. Wayne turned to Jason. "Go with Alfred. You can trust him. I'll be there as soon as I'm dressed. Nothing related to Batman gets out of this cave, that's a rule."

Jason nodded and turned to the butler. That expression was starting to get on his nerves.

"This way, Master Jason."

Because he was really hungry, Jason followed the butler to the elevator, always keeping a safe distance from the unknown man. He was sure the old guy hated having him there. He was probably judging his baggy and filthy clothes and worried that Jason was gonna leave everything dirty or steal the family's jewels or something.

The elevator door opened and the boy followed the butler down the biggest hall ever to the kitchen.

"Please sit down, Master Jason" Alfred said and Jason carefully pulled a chair and sat by the table. "Is there something in particular that you wish to eat?"

"I'm not picky. I eat everything, Mr. Pennyworth" the boy answered, still frowning at the man.

"Very well, sir" the butler said. "By the way, you can call me Alfred. Everyone does."

This surprised Jason. He had never met an adult who liked to be called by his first name by a kid.

"Ah… Okay. Then you can just call me Jason."

"That would not be proper" Alfred said.

"Why not?"

"As a butler, it wouldn't be correct."

"Like… a butler's code or something?"

Alfred seemed to ponder on those words for a while. "Yes, that's exactly it. Do you want something for those injuries, Master Jason?"

"My…? Oh! No, they don't hurt" Jason touched his bruised cheek and winced. "They don't hurt that much. I got worse and I could take it."

Sympathy and worry appeared on Alfred's eyes, but was gone before Jason noticed it.

"After he eats, we'll take care of those cuts" Mr. Wayne said, entering the room and sitting in front of Jason. "He's going to need new clothes as well."

"As you wish, Master Bruce" Alfred said.

"I'm fine and I don't need new clothes" Jason exclaimed. "They're just a bit dirty."

"We're not going to take them from you, Jason" Mr. Wayne assured him. "Alfred is going to wash them. You can have them then."

"It's just… I don't need new stuff, okay? You don't have to buy me stuff and I'm not gonna whine."

Mr. Wayne glanced at Alfred before staring back at Jason. "Like I said, you're going to live with us now, so it isn't wrong for us to give you clothes. Also, if you want or need something, you can always ask. I'm not saying I'm going to give you everything you want, but there's nothing wrong about asking."

Jason stared at Mr. Wayne and shrugged. "Alright…"

"Good. Now… let's talk about rules."

Jason frowned. "Rules?"

"Yes, rules. First of all, no more smoking. It's not debatable" Mr. Wayne announced when he saw Jason ready to object. "You're not going to smoke again. It's bad for your health and I won't allow it. You break this rule, you're grounded. Understood?"

Jason glared at the older man. He hated rules and orders. Obedience had never been his strong point, quite the opposite.

"Jason?" Mr. Wayne said dangerously, but the boy pouted and refused to look at him.

"Lots of people smoke. It's no big deal!"

"Jason Peter Todd!"

Jason almost jumped from the chair. He heard that when adults use your full name, it was never a good thing, but no one had actually done it to him. He had to admit it was scary.

"Yes… sir" the boy answered, finding it strange that he felt more intimated by this man than when he was wearing the Batman suit.

"Also, you have to do what Alfred and I tell you to do. If Alfred tells you to eat, you'll eat. No escapes at night. Whenever you want to leave the house, you tell someone where you're going and when you're coming back."

Jason gaped. "Wait! You want to keep tabs on me?"

"I want to know where you are, because none of us wants to be worried if you went missing. In case you disappear, we'll be looking for you assuming something happened. Are we clear?"

"Fine!" Jason muttered. "But it still feels like you're keeping tabs on me."

"It's not" Mr. Wayne answered flatly.

"Here's your meal, Master Jason" Alfred said, placing several dishes in front of the stunned boy.

"This… is this all for me?" Jason asked, staring at the hot chocolate, the sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, cookies and bread with his mouth watering.

"You don't need to eat it all, Master Jason. I can save the rest on the fridge in you like."

"Wow! Thanks… Alfred" the boy said, grabbing a sandwich and thinking he had never eaten something this good in his entire life. If he was going to eat like this, maybe the stupid rules were bearable.

"I made chicken soup for you, Master Bruce" Alfred went on, impassively placing a place of steaming soup in front of Mr. Wayne.

"I'm not hungry, Alfred" the other man said.

"Since you barely touched your dinner, I'm forced to disagree. Besides, you did say that Master Jason was to eat when I tell him to eat. You should set a good example."

Mr. Wayne stared at Alfred for a few seconds before his expression turned into an actual pout. Jason had to bite his lip not to laugh. Batman was pouting at his butler 'cause he didn't want to eat his soup! Maybe Alfred was really powerful.

"Fine, I'll eat it" Mr. Wayne said.

"Very well, sir. I took the liberty of making tea as well, I'm sure you'll drink it."

Mr. Wayne's frown got even bigger, which made Jason chuckle.

"I'm not done talking about the rules" he man said, ending Jason's chuckles. Now they were both brooding.

As Jason kept eating, he thought how much his whole life had changed in a moment and wondered if he really could stay with Batman, no, Mr. Wayne and Alfred when they were so different from him. He was street kid. He didn't fit in a rich guy's house. But, what if he could? What if things worked out? Mr. Wayne was scary as hell and liked to order around, but he wasn't all that bad compared to a lot people Jason had met. Alfred was weird with his accent and butler manners… but it was fun seeing him tease Mr. Wayne.

Maybe Jason's luck had finally changed for the better.

"Hey! I can smell pancakes!" a boy's voice was heard outside the kitchen. "Are we having a night snack and no one… huh?"

Jason stared at the kid who had entered the kitchen and stopped dead on his tracks as soon as he saw him. The boy was older than he was by a few years, he had black hair and blue eyes like Mr. Wayne and his nose was swollen and black.

Jason remembered the fight on the grocery store, the punch… Apparently, the other boy was remembering it too.

" _ **You!**_   What are you… why is he…?"

Jason grinned. "Let me guess… Robin?"

 


	6. Changes

When Dick woke up to the sound of Bruce's voice and the wonderful smell of pancakes, he jumped from his bed and raced down the stairs to the kitchen. He was surprised that his mentor had come home from patrol this early, but if Alfred was making Bruce Freaking Wayne pancakes something was up.

Besides, there was no way he was going to miss Alfred's pancakes.

"Hey! I can smell pancakes!" he cried out happily as he entered the kitchen. "Are we having a night snack and no one… huh?"

Dick's blue eyes widened in disbelief as soon as he saw the unknown kid sitting on their kitchen, but before he could pull himself together, the red hooded boy turned around to face him and recognition hit him like frozen water to the face. His expression should be pretty similar too.

It was the boy from the grocery store, the little thief who punched him in the nose.

" _ **You!**_  What are you… why is he…?" Dick muttered, remembering that there was no way this kid knew who he was.

And then, the kid spoke. "Let me guess… Robin?"

Dick gaped as his gaze shifted from the kid's shit-eating grin to Bruce's calm expression. The whole scenario was so bizarre that his mind went numb. "What? I'm not…"

"It's alright, Dick. He knows," Bruce said, quietly sipping on his tea.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he  _knows_."

Hell must have frozen over, because Bruce Wayne was calmly telling him that a street kid knew their secret identities and wasn't freaking out.

"Bruce, what's going on?" Dick asked, staring at the older man in both confusion and annoyance.

Bruce stood up and walked towards the little kid. Dick noticed the chocolate stains on the boy's shirt and face. They told him their secret  _and_ gave him pancakes?

"Dick, this is Jason Todd. Jason, this is Dick, my ward and, as you guessed it, Robin."

The kid, Jason, stared at him and frowned. "What kind of name is 'Dick'?"

The Boy Wonder was used to those comments, but nevertheless glared back at the boy. "It's short for 'Richard'."

Jason's grin widened. "It's also slang for co…"

"We all know that as well, Jason," Bruce interrupted, glaring at the younger boy and managing to make his obnoxious grin turn into an angry pout.

Even though he was confused and annoyed at kid, Dick still decided to stretch his right hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Jason."

The boy stared back at Dick suspiciously, before slowly returning the hand gesture. "Nice to meet you too,  _Dick_." The way he had said his name left Dick wondering if he was calling him by name or insulting him at the first opportunity. "How's the nose?"

Dick's grin was as mischievous as the younger boy's. "Healing. Thanks for asking."

Bruce raised an eyebrow and stared at both boys, not showing any confusion as usual. "Did you two know each other?"

Jason bit his lower lip, a bit of fear showing in his blue-green eyes. It was Dick who explained their encounter.

"He was the kid I told you about, the one who we caught stealing from the grocery store with a couple of thugs," the Boy Wonder explained.

Jason's eyes became hard and cold as a sea storm. "I wasn't with them. Not really. I just busted the alarm," the boy looked at Bruce's serious face with an unwavering stare, hoping to make him understand. "They went for the safe, I wanted to eat. All I took was a chunk of bread when Robin caught me. I didn't take anything else."

Bruce stared back at Jason's face before nodding slowly.

"Fortunately, you won't need to do that ever again," Jason's lips twitched into an imperceptible smile. "Alfred, take Jason upstairs and show him his room."

_He's staying?_  Dick thought, barely keeping his mouth shut from all the unanswered questions.

"Of course, Master Bruce," the butler answered, opening the kitchen door and motioning for Jason to come with him. "This way, Master Jason."

The boy stood up, his eyes still staring at Bruce's blue ones.

"We'll talk tomorrow. Get some rest, Jason," Bruce said.

Jason nodded, glanced briefly towards a confused Dick and walked out of the kitchen with Alfred. As soon as the sound of their footsteps faded, Dick faced his adopted father with confusion in his deep-blue eyes.

"What is going on, Bruce? Who is this kid? Why does he know our secret identities?"

Bruce leaned against the table. "I caught Jason trying to steal the tires from the Batmobile yesterday."

"What?" Dick shrieked. "Are you serious? Oh… alright, you're always serious. What I mean is that I can't believe someone would dare to do something like that. What was he thinking?"

"To sell them. He was living in a rundown apartment on Crime Alley for a while."

_Crime Alley kid,_  Dick thought. That place was the lowest place in Gotham, a living hell as some people liked to call it. If this kid lived there, Dick didn't want to imagine what he had to do to survive. Most adults wouldn't last a week. "And his parents?"

"His father is in jail, his mother OD'd. He's been living by himself since her death," Bruce went on, explaining how he had convinced Jason to attend Ma Gunn's School for Boys and the disaster that led to the Museum robbery where Jason had showed up.

Dick listened to his mentor's words carefully until the end. After a few seconds of awkward silence where he stared at his bare feet on the kitchen's linoleum, he finally spoke again.

"But…"

Bruce raised a black eyebrow. "What?"

"I understand that you want to help him, but I still don't understand why you had to bring him here and tell him who you were."

"What are you saying, Dick?" Bruce asked calmly, though his eyes shone dangerously. "You wanted me to let the police and the social workers take him again?"

_Do I?_

"No. No, that's not want I meant," the boy answered quickly. "It's just… I didn't know you were looking to take in another kid."

Something in Dick's voice made Bruce relax and his eyes softened. Obviously Dick would feel awkward about having a new kid in the manor, especially since Bruce never talked about that prospect.

"I didn't plan to bring him or anybody else. It never crossed my mind to adopt another kid," the man explained, his voice gentler. "However, when Jason was about to run away from the cops, I realized system wasn't going to work with him. I decided to bring him home," he crossed his arms over his muscular chest and faced the boy he saw as his son. "He's a good kid, Dick. The streets taint the soul, but his is still intact. Sure he can be rough around the edges and God knows how I'm going to deal with that temper of his, but I just couldn't leave him, just as I couldn't leave you. He's one of us."

So far, the only thing Dick learned about the boy was his name and background, he didn't  _know_  him. Jason Todd was a stranger that was going to be living with them from now on. Still, Dick remembered how he felt the kid's bones through his shirt, his look of wild fear and anger. He had no idea what they were supposed to do with him, but Bruce was right. They couldn't send him back to the streets and it made Dick feel ashamed for even considering that. He was behaving like a spoiled, selfish brat who wanted things to stay the way they were.

_Conner was angry too and now he's one of my closest friends. Who knows?_  Dick thought.  _Maybe when we know each other a little better, he'll be my friend too._

"You're right, Bruce. Don't worry; we'll take care of him."

* * *

Jason followed Alfred with wide eyes. Once, the Gotham Historical Museum had been open to the public and the boy took the opportunity to spend a whole afternoon inside the warm building for free. He remembered feeling amazed at its size, the high roof, the sculptured columns, the ancient carpets, the shinning crystals and jewels and the old paintings. It felt as foreign to him as being in another planet. Right now, he felt exactly the same.

Everyone knew that Wayne was filthy rich. People in Crime Alley hated him for it, dreamed of stealing his fortune and make out with the ' _bitches'_ he showed off. Personally, Jason never thought much about Bruce Wayne except for the fact that his parents had been murdered on the place he used to steal tires. It never crossed his mind that one day he would be sleeping on Wayne Manor.

Alfred stopped and opened a big, wooden door. "This way, Master Jason."

Jason entered the room and gasped. His old apartment could fit inside this bedroom. There were huge windows facing the city and real red velvet curtains. The bed was so big that he could have easily slept in it with three other kids and… was that a  _real_  private bathroom?

"I hope you like this bedroom," Alfred said. "If you don't, I can find you another one more to your liking."

The boy ran to bathroom and stared in awe. "No… No, this one is fine. It's great. It's… it's so big…"

Alfred smiled kindly, but Jason felt like a complete idiot. This place was big, beautiful and rich, everything he was not. He didn't know how to stand right, if he should put his hands on his pockets or how high his voice should be. All he knew was that this place wasn't for someone like him.

As if sensing his discomfort, Alfred approached the boy and pointed towards the bathtub. "I will change the sheets from the bed in a minute. Do you wish to take a bath?"

Jason stared at his filthy hands and finger nails and thought of his dirty face and greasy hair and thought of the clean sheets Alfred was going to put in the bed. "Yeah, I'll take a bath but… hmm… I don't have more clothes," he touched his old red sweater.

"That's not a problem. I can get you some," the butler walked out of the bathroom and brought Jason a fuzzy blue towel. "Take as much time as you need, Master Jason."

After Alfred left the bathroom, Jason took his time to undress and get inside the white tub. There were several shampoos in front of him and three different soaps, when he turned on the water it became warm in a second. The last time he showered, the hot water ended after 5 minutes and the place smelled like sewage. For the first time in a long, long time, Jason enjoyed the warm shower and did his best to wash all the dirt, motor oil and sweat from his skinny body.

When he got out of the tub, Jason knew that he had never been this clean. He smelled nice (not flowery, girly nice, but man's soap nice) and his black hair looked shiny and fresh. Swiftly, he dried himself with the towel and even brushed his teeth with a toothbrush that was conveniently placed in the sink.

"May I come in, Master Jason?" Alfred asked after knocking on the door.

Jason pulled the towel around this body. "Yeah…"

Alfred entered the bathroom holding a white t-shirt, black tracksuit pants, underwear and a first-aid kit.

Jason quickly got dressed while Alfred left the bathroom to give him some privacy, only for the butler to get inside again to take a look at his cuts and bruises. No matter how much Jason told him that they were no big deal, Alfred didn't rest until the boy told him where all the injuries were and made sure that he didn't break anything. After a few minutes of disinfecting and bandaging Jason's cuts, Alfred asked politely if he wanted to use the hairdryer to dry his damp hair. Though Jason wouldn't mind sleeping with his hair wet, the butler showed no signs of giving up. So, beyond Jason's understanding, he ended up with the butler drying, combing and even cutting some of his hair.

When Jason stared at his reflection in the big mirror, he couldn't believe that was him. He looked so… clean and  _different_. He looked like the kind of kid that could go into a fancy store and not be kicked out because he looked like a thief or the kind of kid that wouldn't look out-of-place in the nicest streets in Gotham.

After making sure that Jason had everything he needed, Alfred left the bedroom silently. Finally alone, Jason closed all the curtains around the room and got inside the clean covers. It was honestly the most comfortable bed he had ever slept, which made him confused that after an hour laying down he still couldn't fall asleep. He'd twist and turn, pull the covers, change his position a million times but, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep.

He'd never been a good sleeper. When he lived at home, the bruises from his dad's beating hurt too much, when he lived on the streets he had to keep an eye open if someone wanted to take advantage of a sleeping kid. Now, the bed felt too comfortable, the room too silent. He knew he was safe, but he couldn't stop his mind from thinking how quickly his whole life had turned around.

Yesterday, Jason Todd was sleeping in a hard mattress and wondering when his next meal would be. Now, he had been taken in by Batman, found his secret identity and, apparently, he was going to be living with the richest man in Gotham who also happened to be the city's mightiest hero.

It was too much.

Jason grabbed a pillow and walked towards the corner which was the farthest away from the windows and less likely to put him on the way from a bullet. He lied down on the ground and stared at the moonlight rays that went through the curtains, just like he did on all the places he had ever slept. It took him another hour to finally fall asleep.

* * *

On Saturday mornings, everyone overslept on Wayne Manor except Alfred Pennyworth. The butler woke up at 7 a.m. as usual to clean the kitchen and start making breakfast, a routine he had kept since he had been hired by Thomas Wayne and never changed after his employer's death. The only difference was that he now had to practically drag Bruce from his bedroom if he wanted him to eat.

That morning though, they had a new member and Alfred couldn't help but wonder how that boy had spent his first night. Surprisingly, he found Bruce walking down the corridor, already dressed and shaved.

"Good morning, Master Bruce," Alfred whispered as Bruce nodded in recognition.

They didn't say a word as they walked towards Jason's new room, both knowing that they needed to check up on him. When Alfred opened the door silently, his eyes widened at the sight of the empty bed.

Bruce had wondered what he would do if Jason ran away and the answer had always been to bring him back to the Manor and try again. Still, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that he had left on his first night. Then, he saw him.

Jason was curled up against a corner of the room, his head lying on a pillow. He looked so small, vulnerable and childlike that it made Bruce's heart twinge. The last time he had ever felt that way was when he first talked to Dick, right after his parents murder. Right now, Jason looked exactly who he was, a little kid whose life had been too cruel from the start.

Instead of waking him up, Alfred brought him a blanket and Bruce covered Jason with it. He hoped someday the boy would feel safe enough to sleep on the bed. He hoped someday they would be feel close, but meanwhile they would have to walk around each other until they found their rightfull places in Bruce's growing family.

As silently as they had entered, both men left the bedroom and the little boying sleeping.

 


End file.
